Just then the same two boys appeared carrying huge baskets of ammunition, one on each arm.
“Oh no! Now we will be completely bashed. This isn’t fair!”
The boys walked up to the girls and handed them each a basket full of bright red, ripe tomatoes. They smiled shyly and said, “Si?”
“Hey, they want us to throw some at them. Well, I’m into this.” Amanda picked out a tomato and threw it as hard as she could at the taller boy. Splat, right against the side of his head causing what looked like a huge head wound. He laughed and threw one right back at her. She ducked and it landed on Leah’s arm.
“Okay. Two can play this as good as one!” She heaved a tomato at Amanda.
“Who’s side are you on?”
“Mine – only mine.” Leah continued to hurl the red bombs.
The tomatoes flew back and forth like missiles until the scene looked like a blood bath in a gory movie. Everyone laughed so hard they could hardly stand up straight.
A huge boom sounded through the air. The boys stopped throwing.
Amanda had one tomato left in her basket. She reached for it but Leah put her hand over hers. “That canon signals the tomato fight is over. We can’t throw any more.”
The boys smiled through their red faces and waved “Adios” as they disappeared down an alley way.
“That was good fun. Look at you.” Leah pointed to Amanda.
Amanda pointed back at her. “Look at you!”
They started to laugh again.
“Wait until Mom and Dad see us.”
Amanda pulled her camera out from her jeans pocket. “I have to have a picture of this for my friends back home.”
They put their arms around each other as Amanda held the camera out in front of them. Snap! The camera captured the image of two very red faces smiling from ear to ear as tomato juice dripped off them.
They continued giggling as they started down the street to find Leah’s parents.
Amanda gasped, “Holy crap. It’s him. The man who took Pedro.”
“Quick, in here.” Leah pushed her friend through an open gate. “He’ll never recognize you covered in tomato juice.”
“Why does he always show up wherever I am? We should follow him. Maybe he will lead us to the pony.”
“I have a better idea. Let’s don’t and stay out of trouble for once. Besides we have to get cleaned up.” Leah’s father came around another corner.
“There you are. Look at the sight of you two. I should have known you would get caught up in Tomatina. You better find a shower before you get in my car. Be quick about it because I want to get to Barcelona before dark.”
“Will I like Barcelona?” asked Amanda.
“Everyone likes Barcelona,” said Mr. Anderson.
Amanda looked over her shoulder once more but there was no sign of the pony thief. She had an uncomfortable feeling about Barcelona.
Chapter 12
Amanda and Leah meandered down the middle of a wide street crammed with people. Leah’s mom said it was called Les Rambles, and was the most popular place in Barcelona. With so much happening, it was hard to take it all in. Souvenir kiosks, flower vendors, artists, musicians, dancers, jugglers and stalls selling animals cluttered the sidewalk. Birds of all kinds were for sale – pigeons, parakeets, budgies and even chickens. Aquariums filled with colourful fish were surrounded with tubs of turtles. Amanda didn’t like seeing the bunnies and guinea pigs in cages.
“Look!” shouted Leah over the noise. She pointed to a bronze cowboy sculpture. Amanda didn’t expect to see a cowboy figure, just like the ones back home in Calgary. She stood closer for a better look. It looked remarkably lifelike. The statue winked at her and she jumped back. Someone dropped money into a bronze spittoon beside the cowboy. He pulled out his gun, twirled it around, did a little dance and gave a whistle before he went back to being a statue.
“How can someone stand still that long?” questioned Amanda. She knew she couldn’t.
They walked past portrait artists, cartoonists and landscape painters selling their works of art. Leah and her mom picked out a painting at a stall while Amanda continued to stroll along, looking from side to side and enjoying the excitement in the air. She stopped and did a double take. There was the girl in the painting – again, wearing the same red and silver dress with the enormous skirt and her chestnut hair in ringlets. It was the 3D version of the painting in Madrid. The girl stood perfectly still. Could it be? It couldn’t be. The last time she saw Dona she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
Two little girls walked up to the figurine and stood beside her with toothy smiles. The adults with them took pictures and then put money in a jeweled box on the sidewalk. Amanda tried to catch her eye but the girl appeared to be in a trance. She turned to walk away when she saw a faint smile on Dona’s lips.
Leah rushed over and took Amanda’s hand. “I think I saw Francisco. Come this way, quick!”
“But – but, I just saw…”
“Tell me later. You just have to see this.”
Leah pulled Amanda along to a mythical, winged-creature covered in black scales. His long fingers were equipped with even longer sharp finger nails. The two children in his arms squealed with frightened delight as they were getting their pictures taken.
“Look at his face,” demanded Leah.
It was hard to see anything under the dark make-up.
Mrs. Anderson said, “Stand with him girls and I’ll take your picture.”
The creature grinned and Amanda recognized Francisco. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Meet me by the Columbus statue at eight o’clock tonight.”
The camera flashed and Leah’s father dropped some coins in the bucket in front of the creature.
Chapter 13
When they returned to their hotel room, Amanda couldn’t wait to tell Leah about seeing Dona and what Francisco said to her.
“That is just plain crazy. How will we be able to meet him at the statue?” Leah rolled her eyes, as she brushed her long blond hair.
“Maybe we could say we want to shop at that big mall we saw by the port. You know – where all the boats are.”
“I know what a port is, silly. I guess we can try. Why do these people keep showing up wherever we are – I want to know?” Leah shook her head like a dog, and then smoothed her hair back down. “Let’s go talk to Mom.” She marched into the next room.
“Mom, Amanda and I would like to shop at that mall by the port. You know the one near the statue of Christopher Columbus.”
“That is a good idea. I can do some shopping and we can pick up a little something to eat there as well. Your dad just wants to stay in and rest.”
Leah leaned over and whispered in Amanda’s ear, “What he really wants to do is watch the football game on T.V.”
The air conditioning felt good on their sun-baked skin as they entered the mall. Mrs. Anderson soon found a dress shop she liked and started to try things on. Leah looked at Amanda, sighed and said to the dressing room curtain, “We want to have a better look at the statue of Columbus. We’ll be back in a while.”
“All right dear. Meet you here or at the food court.”
“When Mom is trying on clothes she forgets everything else. Although, she might be wondering at my sudden interest in history, but she probably thinks it’s your idea anyway. You are such a good influence, aren’t you?”
“Of course. If the guy hadn’t headed for North America way back then – who knows what would have happened.”
“You would all still be running around in the forests and living in tents.”
“Ya, right!” Amanda punched her friend on the arm.
They stood under the statue and looked up at Columbus standing on top of a tall pillar, wearing a long cloak and pointing out to sea with an oversized finger. Carvings of immigrants with suitcases surrounded the base. For a statue, it was not bad.
“It’s almost eight o’clock.” Leah looked at her watch. “Where is Fra
ncisco? You’re sure he said to meet him here?”
“Yep, I’m sure.”
Amanda sat down on a ledge, put her backpack down beside her and removed a bottle of water. She took a long drink and gazed over at the boats lined up like soldiers waiting for orders. “I would love to go on a sailboat one day.”
“My dad has a sailboat in England. Perhaps you could come and visit us there and we could go for a sail.”
“That would be so awesome!”
They talked about what they would do in England. Leah looked at her watch. “It is 8:15. Where is he? We can’t stay much longer, Mom will get worried.”
Amanda turned to put her water away but her backpack wasn’t there. She looked around. “Leah, have you seen my backpack?”
“No. I thought you had it.”
“I just put it down beside me.”
“Oh no. Someone must have nicked it. The pick pockets and thieves are very quick here. You can’t leave anything unattended.”
Amanda felt sick. “My camera, my money, everything was in there.”
“We had better go back and tell Mom.”
Francisco was forgotten as they reported the stolen bag. Amanda sobbed, “I guess I was pretty stupid.”
Mrs. Anderson put her arm around her. “It can happen to anyone. I once had a purse stolen in an Italian restaurant.”
“I had some great pictures on that camera,” cried Amanda.
“Well, you did download most of them already,” Leah reminded her tearful friend.
They returned to the hotel and Mr. Anderson called the police to report the missing backpack. No one felt like eating so they snacked on cheese and crackers. Amanda kept sniffling. She wasn’t having a good time anymore and wished they hadn’t come to Barcelona.
Chapter 14
The next morning the girls were very hungry and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast before Leah’s parents were ready. Lorenzo, the hotel manager, approached them with a piece of paper in his hand. “Miss Amanda, I have here a message for you.”
“For me? Are you sure?”
“Oh yes, Senorita. It is for you.”
He handed her the piece of paper which said, We have your rucksack. Please come to the fourth floor of 125 Almede Street to collect it.
Amanda handed the note to Leah. “O-M-G – I can’t believe it! Let’s go and get my backpack right now. It can’t be that far. Won’t your parents be blown away when they see my backpack has been returned?”
“Perhaps we should tell them first,” cautioned Leah.
“No, no – let’s surprise them. I can’t believe my luck.” Amanda grinned from ear to ear. “Where’s Almede Street?” she asked Lorenzo.
“It is two blocks right and one block left.” He pointed the way. “It is very close, you will not get lost.”
“Let’s go. Right now!” Amanda ran out of the hotel with a bewildered Leah close behind.
They followed Lorenzo’s instructions, easily found the old building and entered the huge wooden front door. They could barely make out the two identical marble staircases that spiraled up each side as they entered the dim foyer. A rickety, old elevator did not look very reliable so they decided to take the stairs to the fourth floor.
They rang the doorbell and caught their breath while they waited. An older man answered the door.
“I’m Amanda and I have come for my backpack.”
Without a smile, the man nodded and motioned the girls to follow him into another room. The missing backpack waited for her on a high-backed chair. Amanda rushed to pick it up when a big hairy arm reached out to stop her. Her eyes followed the length of the arm. It was attached to a man with a mean grin. She felt sick. She recognized the man – he was the man with the ponytail.
“Gotchya now, you meddling little brat.” He grabbed her around the waist and carried her kicking and flailing to another room. The last thing Amanda saw, before he threw her in the dark room and slammed the door, was Leah’s puzzled eyes.
She soon became accustomed to the dark and, to her astonishment, made out Francisco, in a corner, tied to a chair.
“I am sorry Amanda.” He looked down in embarrassment.
“You should be,” retorted Amanda as she looked around for a way out of the room.
The older man who had answered the door came into the room and tied Amanda to a wooden chair. ‘What will happen to us now? And where is Leah?’ was all she could think about.
Chapter 15
Lost in thought, Amanda tried to figure out what to do and wondered how she got into yet another mess, when she heard Francisco whisper, “Amanda, Amanda. Can you hear me? We have to get out of here.”
“Like, yes, we do have to get out of here. Do you have any ideas, smarty? I think you got us into this mess in the first place.” ‘Last time I fall for a good looking, smooth-talking Spanish boy who says he can be trusted,’ she decided.
“No, Senorita. You have it wrong. I went to meet you at the Columbus column but they followed me, ambushed me and then took your bag to lure you here. That man, Paddy they call him, he wants to find Dona. He thinks we will tell him where she is. I think he wants to kidnap her and get a ransom from her father.”
“Isn’t it enough he has her beloved pony?”
“He is very greedy, that one.”
‘Now what? How am I going to get out of this?’ Amanda looked around the dim room. It was sparsely furnished with only two other wooden high-backed chairs and a square wooden table. Near her, a large wardrobe with a heavy, brass latch loomed. An empty book shelf stood against the other wall. The windows were shuttered up tight with very little light getting through.
Amanda wriggled her wrists. She had been tied with a strip of fabric, not a rope. It hadn’t been tied very tight but still too tight to wriggle her hands out of the fabric. The wardrobe was close. She bounced her chair toward it.
“What are you doing? They will hear you,” whispered Francisco.
The door opened. Amanda sat perfectly still. Paddy walked in slamming his fist into his palm. “Okay young lady. Where is that little friend of yours, the one who follows you like a puppy? Are you going to tell me or do I have to force it out of you?” He came close to her face and his breath smelled bad. She looked away.
“I don’t know where she is. Where is my friend Leah?”
“Don’t worry about her. She will tell us everything we need to know.” Paddy continued slamming his fist into his hand as if he wanted to hit her.
Amanda tried to be brave and not look scared. “I won’t say anything until you bring Leah here.”
“Ha! You are in no position to make any deals you impudent little American.” The big man leaned down over her.
“I am not American. I am Canadian.”
“I don’t care if you’re Icelandic,” Paddy bellowed. “Just tell me where that little Spanish brat is.”
“She doesn’t know where she is Paddy. Let her go,” said a voice from the corner.
“You – you traitor.” The veins in Paddy’s neck bulged as his face got redder. “You were under my employ and tried to steal one of my horses. You will pay for that, young man.” Amanda thought for sure the large man would strike Francisco again. She squeezed her eyes shut. This was turning into a terrible nightmare and she wished she would wake up soon.
The older man came to the door and motioned to Paddy. The large man glared at both of his prisoners, threatening them as he backed out the room.
‘I have got to get out of here fast. This could turn ugly,’ thought Amanda.
She wiggled her chair closer to the wardrobe. Francisco looked worried. She leaned back and caught the top rung of the chair on the heavy brass handle. She pushed all her weight forward. Snap, the back of the chair broke, loosening the fabric around her wrists. A couple of wriggles and her right hand came out. She untied her feet and ran over to the bookshelf.
“What about me?”
She deliberated for a second and then went over to untie
the young man. He could be of use to her – if he could be trusted. They had one thing in common; they were both afraid of the man called Paddy.
Chapter 16
Amanda and Francisco poked their heads out of the doorway. No one seemed to be around. They stepped into the hallway and Francisco headed for the front door.
“Wait!” whispered Amanda. “We have to find Leah.”
“We have to get out of here before they catch us,” replied the frightened young man.
“Not without Leah.” Amanda turned to tiptoe down the hallway. She looked in the kitchen and found it empty. She opened a closed door but found only a bed and a dresser. Her heart beat like hail on the roof of a car. Maybe she should leave with Francisco. Maybe Leah wasn’t even here anymore. She couldn’t leave without finding out.
Amanda heard a low moan come from behind another closed door. With a trembling hand she turned the doorknob. Leah, tied to a chair and gagged with a colourful scarf, tried to say something. Amanda didn’t even look to see if anyone else was in the room. She ran to her friend and untied the scarf.
“Are you all right?” she asked as she untied the ropes binding her friend’s hands and feet.
“Yes. What took you so long?”
“Sorry, I was tied up. We have got to get out of here – fast.”
“Everyone’s gone, I think,” said Leah as she rubbed her wrists to get the circulation back. “I over heard the old man say someone saw Dona at La Pedrera and they were going to check out the rumour.”
“What is La Pedrera?”
“Casa Mila, a Gaudi house. I’ll explain later. Let’s go.”
Amanda decided not to ask any more questions at that moment. Francisco fidgeted by the front door. “No one seems to be about,” he reported. “Let’s get out of here!”
Amanda picked up her backpack and followed her two friends down the marble stairs.
Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting Page 4